Top 10 Albums of 2010

Quick note, I want to point out that I customized my title bar and am very pleased with it.  Everyone look at it.  You look at it?  Alright, moving on...

At first I didn't think I would actually do a Top 10.  I've gotten a lot of music this year and I haven't given all of it a really good listen.  However, over the past few days I've made an effort to listen to some albums that I've been meaning to get to.  With that being said, there's still a handful of albums I didn't listen to as much as I would have liked and those albums will not be on my Top 10 unfortunately.  Then, I almost didn't want to do it again because I found myself grinding my teeth and pulling my hair as to which albums would be in my Top 10.  I picked out twenty albums and narrowed it down from them, but even as I'm writing this, I'm trying to figure out which album will take the last spot in my Top 10 and I'm torn between three albums.  What's even harder is taking those albums and ranking them against one another.  Fortunately, I've managed to narrow it down and am proud to present my Top 10 albums of 2010.

First, I want to start off with a few honorable mentions that didn't make the list and I'm sad that they didn't:

• The Black Keys - Brothers
• The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards
• Philip Selway - Familial
• Soft Circle - Shore Obsessed

10. Spoon - Transference

For anyone that knows me, it was hard for me to put Spoon in the tenth spot.  As much as I love them and as much as I would love to put them at #1, I just couldn't.  Fortunately for them, they still made the list and it isn't because I'm in love with them (in a completely platonic way, of course).  Spoon started out creating rock music with an incredible amount of experimentation and versatility.  In Transference, released early in 2010, they seem to have settled down into a comfort zone, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  While experimentation is almost completely absent, the band still manages to juxtapose their rock side and their soft side with songs such as "Got Nuffin" and "Good Night Laura" respectively.  Other songs play with awkward melodies such as "Written in Reverse" showing that the band may still be using a bit of implicit experimentation.

9. D-Sisive - Vaudeville

D-Sisive is my dark horse this year and Vaudeville is the only album to make it on the Top 10 from the radio station (not saying they gave me bad music, incredible music is just hard to come by).  Making the album after a bout with depression, D-Sisive blew the doors off with three full length albums and one EP.  He has a passion and drive for hip-hop like Jay-Z and a funny bone like Eminem.  Not only is his flow smooth and his voice unique, but he's versatile.  The amount of emotion in Vaudeville is incredible with several heart felt songs as well as bone crushing ones.  He also knows how to generate success, with certain tracks catering to a more main stream audience ("I Love a Girl") and others to a more independent one ("Ray Charles").  He's creative, smart, powerful and is definitely going to make a name for himself.  Who knew Canada could have a hip-hop movement?

8. The National - High Violet

I have some people that are going to be mad at me for this one.  Okay, maybe not mad, but... well, you know who you are.  High Violet is one of the albums that I didn't really get a chance to listen to it when it first came out.  The first time I heard it I was on a road trip and didn't really listen to it.  However, over the past couple of days, I've managed to really give it a solid listen and appreciate it.  While at times Matt Berninger's vocals might seem like a monotonous drone, what he's saying is deep and meaningful.  One lyric in particular caught me off guard in the song "Conversation 16" when he states "I was afraid, I'd eat your brains/ 'Cause I'm evil."  Once I heard that, I started the album over and really started concentrating on the lyrics.  The melodies do a good job of either mimicking Berninger's unique tone or contrasting it, both of which manage to work successfully for The National.  The most powerful blending of the two has to be in the song "Sorrow," especially when Berninger sings "Sorrow found me when I was young/ Sorrow waited, sorrow won."

7. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Again, this was an album that I didn't really give a good listen to until recently and was one of the albums I was pressed to put on the Top 10.  Arcade Fire has an incredible sound with their eight members and manage to make songs that are more like works of art.  While The Suburbs may not be their best album to date, it definitely manages to put a gold star on their repertoire of music.  Win Butler's vocals in "Rococo" are hypnotic and full of fervor as he makes slight alterations in the repeating of the song's title, ranging from shouting, to whining, to wailing.  The song is a masterpiece and definitely my favorite off of the album.  Furthermore, with a grand sized band comes a large scale sound and vision.  The Suburbs plays out like a story throughout, something no doubt planned out by the band with the last song echoing the opening track, "The Suburbs."

6. Cee-lo Green - The Lady Killer

Cee-lo almost burned me bad on this one.  Right before this came out, I downloaded one of his past albums and was blown away.  When I found out that The Lady Killer was nearing its release date, I lost my mind.  Unfortunately, at first, I was disappointed; The Lady Killer didn't have the same raw edge to it that Cee-lo Green is... the Soul Machine did.  Fortunately, as I continued to listen to the album, I realized that Cee-lo had a completely different approach to this album.  The Lady Killer features passion and sensuality instead of playful funk and sex.  "Bodies" is full of raw emotion and seduction, "I Want You" is a powerful love ballad, and "Bright Lights Bigger City" starts the album off with a funky search for love.  He still manages to have some more fun and sexy songs such as "Fuck You" (an unfortunate victim of Glee) and "Love Gun."  While Cee-lo isn't as playful and sexual as in his previous album, he's more mature and passionate, making The Lady Killer have a smooth, seducing sound. 

5. Atmosphere - To All My Friends, Blood Makes the Blade Holy: The Atmosphere EP's

Alright, anyone who REALLY knows me knows that it was hard for me to put Atmosphere at number five.  However, I had to put them here because I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted them here because the album is actually great or because I'm in love with them (in a completely sexual way, of course).  While this album is technically titled as a collection of EP's, I am an avid listener of Atmosphere and never before have I ever heard any of these songs.  With that being said, To All My Friends captures each and every aspect of Atmosphere: their aggressive, down to reality side; their fun loving, well wishing side; their oddly cynical side; and their lyrically creative, story telling side.  Slug, the lead rapper of Atmosphere, has a way of telling stories that is seldom heard in the hip-hop world and To All My Friends is no exception.  In one song, Slug tells a story of deceptive friends, expressing regret, anger, and frustration in "The Loser Wins," where as in "Hope" he curiously wishes someone a good day in a sarcastic, almost arrogant tone.  Atmosphere's versatility and longevity still manages to amaze me and they easily make this list.

4. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

It almost pains me to put Kanye above Atmosphere, but I had to.  Kanye West definitely surprised me with his newest album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy; I had almost gone on strike against the man until he released this thing.  West manages to breath life into his career with the song "POWER" which is an intense, dynamic, slightly narcissistic song with a heavy bass and infectious sound.  He also manages to show musical prowess concerning mood with "Monster" and "Runaway," songs that are almost complete opposites in terms of feeling and vibe.  "Monster" is aggressive and primal, with smooth, yet unrelenting verses coming from Rick Ross, Jay-Z, and Nicki Minaj.  "Runaway" almost humbles West with his tribute to douche bags and is easily the high point of the album with the simple yet profound piano melody.  What strengthens this album, however, is West's incredible supporting cast with artists such as Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Pusha T, Rick Ross, and John Legend all making an appearance.  While this may not be the strongest album in West's discography, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Family will always be remembered as a successful album that came out of a torrential downpour of bullshit and an ever present negative spotlight.

3. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

I'll be the first to admit that my favorite person from Outkast is Andre 3000.  I'll even say that Andre 3000 is one of my favorite rappers and I wouldn't even consider Big Boi in that category.  Well, Sir Lucious Left Foot shut me up.  This album, while highly anticipated, came out of no where for me.  While the production quality of the album is shocking, what is more surprising is Big Boi's new found musical versatility.  I always took him as the more aggressive, gangster like of the duo, but songs such as "The Train Part II (Sir Lucious Left Foot Save The Day)" and "Hustle Blood" (easily one of the best songs off of the album) show that he too has an emotional side to rival that of Andre 3000's.  "Shutterbug" and "Tangerine" are reminiscent of "The Way You Move" from Outkast's Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below and show that Big Boi still knows how to get a crowd going, in particular the women.  However many times I listen to "Shutterbug" I will never get sick of it; Big Boi's flow is as sick as ever in his homage to memories and good times.  "Tangerine" is sexy, smooth, and dark with the ever present tribal drum beat and guitar line, with an occasional appearance from the tambourine (an element echoed in the lyrics).  "Shutterbug" will go down as a viral club hit and "Hustle Blood" shouldn't be forgotten as the album's most surprising and successful song, coming together to make an incredibly versatile solo album for Big Boi.

2. Foals - Total Life Forever

People will be confused by this pick, most likely because not many people have heard of them.  I've even second guessed putting them here because of that fact.  However, whenever Total Life Forever comes on, I can't stop listening.  Every track stands out in my mind when I listen to it and while earlier this year I said I only picked them as a top album contender because I really like them, that no longer holds true.  Foals manage to create an interesting sound in Total Life Forever that can't really be pinned down.  They parallel bands like Friendly Fires at times with their more upbeat, staccato infested songs and high pitched vocals ("Blue Blood"), but other times they sound like Ratatat, utilizing a more floating, ambient, synthesized melody ("Alabaster").  At first glance, nothing about Total Life Forever seems incredibly ground breaking or even new, but the way they layer their sound and contrast certain timbres and sounds is without doubt fascinating both technically and musically.  Some people may disagree with me about this pick and may not even enjoy them as much as I do, but in my opinion, Foals is on the upswing and creates a complex, yet pleasant masterpiece with Total Life Forever.

1. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

The ArchAndroid is an album that has received high praise from me and just about everyone this year.  It has received stellar reviews from critics and everyone I know who has listened to it has loved it.  I almost forgot how great this album was, but when I saw Janelle Monae open up for Of Montreal, I remembered how much I not only loved this album, but how much I loved her.  Janelle Monae is an entertainer to say the least and she loves doing what she does.  While this isn't straight from the horses mouth, I have a feeling that she not only does what she does because she loves it, but because she is constantly striving to change what music is.  Monae has an incredible voice and can without doubt belt, such as in "Come Alive (War Of The Roses)", but has a decent rap flow that can be seen in "Dance Or Die" and "Tightrope."  She's not only enchanting, but at times confusing and I sometimes struggle to understand how the same quirky, weird, sexual person I heard in "Wondaland" is the same elegant, smoky siren in "BaBopBye Ya."  While I haven't managed to listen to her past works, I understand they're extraordinary and I plan to listen to them immediately.  Monae is not only exciting on her album, but she is an incredible performer.  Never before have I been to a concert where I liked the opening band more than I liked the headliner.  Without question, I will see Janelle Monae when she tours through Colorado on her own.  She's sexy, fun, quirky, aggressive, smooth, smoky, rough, weird, inspired, passionate, intelligent, funky, and soulful and Janelle Monae's The ArchAndroid is easily my number one album of 2010.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

"I think I just fell in love with a porn star"

Kanye West's newest release, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, has been receiving stellar reviews so far, averaging a Metacritic score of 92.  The album so far has been most well known by its two singles "POWER," featured with The Social Network, and "Runaway," a song West introduced at the 2010 VMAs.  Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't really like Kanye West that much.  I liked "College Dropout" and "Late Registration" wasn't all that bad.  However, when West released "Graduation," I lost interest; I didn't even attempt to touch "808s & Heartbreak."  West only made the situation worse for himself after the whole Taylor Swift debacle and at that point he had lost any sense of credibility he may have had with me.  Upon the release of his new album, however, as I was watching the high reviews pile up, I figured that I might as well give it a listen and see what all the hype was about.  In all honesty, "POWER" was enough for me to give the album a shot.

To start off, it would be insulting NOT to say that this is easily one of Kanye West's best albums.  It's not just because of the production value, it's not just because of the stellar guest appearances, but mostly it's because of the versatility of the album.  The first thing that impressed me most was the surprisingly "gansta" sounding track, "Monster."  From the get go it has a hard, heavy pounding bass to it, with a little bit of grunge.  The raps are tough and powerful and the featuring artists (Rick Ross, Jay-Z, and Nicki Minaj) all do a great job with their respective verses, reiterating the raw, ruthless feel of the song.  Other stand outs on the album include one of the albums singles "Runaway" as well as "All of the Lights," "Hell of a Life," and "Blame Game."  "Runaway" is an anthem to douche bags and other assholes.  The overall feeling of the song is great and the chorus is infectious.  The only problem with the song is it's about four minutes too long.  "All of the Lights," featuring Drake and Rihanna, is your typical pop song, but has a catchy hook and a relatively interesting, funky beat.  "Hell of a Life," has more of a rock feel and a steady synthesized beat that gives you sort of a rough feel.  It's also one of the most vulgar songs with lyrics like "I think I just feel in love with a porn star" and "Make your knees shake, make a priest faint/ Make a nun cum, make her creamate," yes, "creamate;"  Not to mention the hook: "No more drugs for me/ Pussy and religion is all I need."  "Blame  Game" is easily the most sentimental song on the album, in large part because of the voice and piano stylings of featured artist John Legend.

Unfortunately, as can be expected, where the album has a wide array of colorful moods and feelings, it also exhibits the undeniable arrogance and pretentiousness of Kanye West as well.  Like in much of his other albums, West exudes an air of greatness which he has to tell you about.  To tack onto that, after a surprise concert during which Kanye performed his entire album, he took ten minutes at the end of the show to both speak his mind about George W. Bush's recent interview, as well as to somewhat retract his apology to Taylor Swift stating that "If I wasn't drunk I would have stayed on stage longer."  As much as I want to like this album, it's hard to do with Kanye West glorifying himself every chance he gets.  During his rant, he even went so far as to say "I never thought I'd say this: I want to thank the magazines for perfect scores across the board," which is far from the truth.  While West did receive perfect scores from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, as well as others, he received lower marks from other reviewers as well (Note: Metacritic isn't showing the various critic scores at this point, but once I get them, I'll put the lower scores up).  While My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is still getting incredibly high reviews, it is far from, as Mr. West puts it, "perfect."  

Kanye West's new album is arguably his best to date.  Because of the versatility in mood, as well as a stellar cast of guest appearances (Jay-Z, Pusha T, and John Legend being my favorites), and solid production quality, West has succeeded in making a likely early contender for next year's Grammy Awards (the album didn't make the cut off date this year).  Unfortunately, West, as always, has to add that little spice of self-obsessiveness and pretentiousness.  Maybe one of these days he'll come out with an album that doesn't include his outlandish tabloid persona, but that's not in the foreseeable future.  Take a listen here.

Music Recommendation #3

11/21/10-11/27/10

Look at me getting two of these posts in back-to-back weeks!  Okay, so it's the 29th.  Shut up.  As most of you know, this past week was Thanksgiving, so I didn't get any music from the radio station.  Fortunately, I took it upon myself to get some music of my own accord.  One of the albums was inspired by an addiction and another by stupid catchy music bullshit.

My addiction: vidja game (aka video games).  The first album I want to talk about is the Fallout: New Vegas OST.  Now, for anyone who has ever played any of the Fallout games (or any game in the past 4 or 5 years) knows that in-game music is a big deal.  Fallout 3, Bioshock 1 and 2, Grand Theft Auto, Halo, and several others are known for having various licensed, independent, or orchestral scores.  Video game music has become a big deal and Obsidian is no ignant foo'.  Not only did Fallout 3 have an awesome soundtrack (featuring Billie Holiday, The Ink Spots, and Ella Fitzgerald among several others), but New Vegas possibly has a better soundtrack with artists such as Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra, just to name a few.  This music not only provides for an incredibly unique in-game mood, but also makes for an awesome OST.  The Fallout: New Vegas OST has a great number of tracks from the early '50s across several different genres and has a monster line-up with twenty-seven tracks.  I would definitely give the OST a listen even if you haven't played the game.  If you're interested in playing the game, check out my review for the game on my other blog, here.  Unfortunately, they're not selling it on Amazon, so I can't give you a sample of it, but if you really want it, let me know.

The second album I want to talk about will be the first album I've talked about so far in these "recommendations" that I absolutely want you to stay away from.  No joke.  Promise me.  Now, I'm sure several of you have heard of the song "Like A G6" (for those of you that haven't, turn on the radio, it will be on).  The track is on "Free Wired," an album released by Far East Movement.  I'll be the first to admit that the song isn't half bad and is damn catchy; if I hear it in the car I'm going all crunk and junk.  However, while "Like a G6" might be decent, the rest of the album is shit save for maybe two songs, which isn't much of a saving grace for the ten song album.  Also, note that I said "save for two songs" are not shit.  They are a couple steps above it, which is still nothing close to good.  I will listen to these songs for a couple of weeks, probably put them on a party play list, and then never ever touch them again.  The album is devoid of any sort of creativity and the depth of the lyrics stops at drunk girls, heartbreak, and hopeless romance.  In essence, Far East Movement is a generation late on the boy band movement with a dash of hip-hop.  What's more disappointing is that these guys are HUGE sellouts.  From what I've seen from various forums, these guys were great before they signed; after that all they were was foo-foo poppy bullshit.  I'm not kidding either, some people are seriously pissed about them signing to a big label: "Sold.fuck.ing.out.  That's what they did."  One positive thing about "Like a G6" is that it's led to a number of parodies, this one being my favorite.  Take a listen here.

On to music news for this upcoming week.  Justine Bieber (there is no typo) is unfortunately coming out with another album, "My Worlds Acoustic," which is, surprise surprise, a Walmart Exclusive *throws up*.  In better news, some chick named Jazmine Sullivan has an album that is getting surprisingly high reviews for a female vocalist in her genre (R&B, Pop/Rock), which may force me to listen to it.  God knows I might, the last time I did that I stumbled upon the lovely Janelle Monae.  Flo Rida is also coming out with another album, as is Soulja Boy, and both will most likely flop.  There's some really awesome stuff coming up next week, which I'm more than giddy about (I'm being serious about that too), but I'll save that for next week's post.  Let me know if you've come across any good music and stay tuned for a review of "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" which is coming... RIGHT NOW!  And by "RIGHT NOW," I mean tomorrow.

Music Recommendation #2

11/14/10-11/20/10

Alright, time for another week of bringing you some new music and telling you what's going on in the world.  Sorry nothing was brought up last week, but I didn't get any new stuff, so... there ya go.  We're going to start off with what I got from the radio station.

The first album I got was a sampler of Orange Juice's "Coals to Newcastle."  The album is comprised of songs picked out across the epic seven disc (6 CDs & 1 DVD) set, which contains the band's complete discography.  The band played at the start of the '80s in Europe and presaged the coming of The Smiths and kickstarted a renaissance in Scottish pop music.  The compilation is being released under Domino Recording Company (US Division) and you can find the monster CD pack on Amazon.  Overall, Orange Juice is a fun band to listen to.  They're very up beat, very poppy, and VERY '80s.  The sampler I got only has 18 tracks, but the overall bundle consists of a DVD from a live performance and 124 individual tracks among the six CDs.  Orange Juice has a really good sound and is pretty versatile when it  comes to switching it up a bit.  "Rip it Up" is fast and up tempo, where as "Scaremonger" is slower and more swanky.  One thing every track has in it is the typical heavily synthesized '80s keyboard.  I'm not a huge fan of this sort of music, but I did enjoy the album a fair amount.  If you're interested in the epic album, take a listen here; if not, I'm sure you can find the sampler somewhere, which would be a lot easier on the pocket book.

The second album I got was Soft Circle's "Shore Obsessed."  This album has got to be one of the best album's I've gotten from the radio station so far; definitely in the Top 3, at least.  Soft Circle is a New York based band started up by Hisham Bharoocha and later joined by Ben Vida.  Bharoocha is known for using looped guitar riffs and repeated vocal sounds to create a trance like type of music.  "Shore Obsessed" is the third album released from Soft Circle, the second album released this year (2010), and the first album released under the duo.  The opening track to the album, "First Time," starts out with a repeated vocal track accompanied by a running base line which lead into some gentle guitar licks.  The overall feeling is similar to what you would find with Foals, but is a bit more hypnotic.  The song is light and energetic and has an overall calming feel to it.  However, what was more impressive for me from the album was how quickly the band can shift gears.  "Nerve of People" has a much darker, industrial feel to it.  The beat is heavy and metallic, the chant in the background is almost demonic, and the vocals are lamentations of society.  The feeling is much different from that of the opening track and almost reminds me of a NIN hybrid.  "Reaper," possibly my favorite track on the album, mixes the sounds of "First Time" and "Nerve of People" into an intense, fast moving, rhythmic song.  The sound is dynamic and hard hitting with the repetition on bass and keyboard.  I would definitely check out Soft Circle if you're looking for something new to listen to, they know how to rock.  Take a listen to them here.

Now, onto some stuff you can look forward to in the music world.  Kanye West is releasing his newest album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and is already receiving rave reviews, averaging a Metacritic score of 100 over seven reviewers.  In other hip-hop news, Nelly recently released his album "5.0" which is receiving decent reviews and already has a single, "Just A Dream," sitting at #5 on Billboard's Top 100 Singles.  Unfortunately, Billboard isn't much to go off of seeing as how Susan Boyle's new album, "The Gift," is currently sitting at the #1 spot on Billboard's Top 200 Albums.  Two things we can ALL look forward to in the upcoming week are the release of Ke$ha's (pronounced: Kay-ee-dollar-sign-haha) new EP "Cannibal" and My Chemical Romance's new album "Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys" (Please don't think I'm serious).  Although, I will say, My Chemical Romance's new album is receiving positive reviews so far.  Alright, now that we have that out of the way, I will do my absolute best to keep you updated with new music I'm getting from the radio station and new music coming your way.  Thanks for reading, see you soon with a review for Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."

The Lady Killer

"Love Gun!  Oh, you shot me baby!"

Cee-lo Green, better known for his work with Danger Mouse in the group Gnarls Barkley, released his third solo album, "The Lady Killer," yesterday, November 9, 2010.  The soulful singer gained popularity with the huge success of "St. Elsewhere" (2006), known for its hit single "Crazy," which he released under Gnarls Barkley.  His fame continued to climb with their 2008 release of "The Odd Couple."  However, before there was Gnarls Barkley, there was plain ol' Cee-lo Green.  In 2002 he released "Cee-lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections" and in 2004 released "Cee-lo Green... Is The Soul Machine," both of which climbed the charts successfully in the US and the UK.  Six years since his last solo release, "The Lady Killer" has received overall positive reviews from critics, averaging an 81 on Metacritic with scores of 80 from BBC Music and The Rolling Stone.

Now, onto a more personal note, I have been anticipating the release of this album since I heard of its release this summer.  Cee-lo has always fascinated me through Gnarls Barkley, but not until this year did I get into his solo work, mainly because I never thought of trying to find it.  Though I have never listened to "Cee-lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections," I haven't been able to put "Cee-lo Green... Is The Soul Machine" down for months.  Everyone knows Cee-lo is an incredible singer with and epic set of pipes, but what impressed me from "Soul Machine" was his vocal versatility and the variety of his works.  (The song "Sometimes" is performed in spoken word and is by far my favorite track.)  Cee-lo also manages to spread the album out in terms of mood, rapping/singing, and also has some notable guest appearances, Timbaland and Ludacris among them.  With the release of his new album, I was stoked and expected the same diversity.  I think you know where I'm going with this.

I had high expectations going into "The Lady Killer."  Not only had I been incredibly satisfied with Gnarls Barkley as a whole and "Soul Machine," but I had also been incredibly enticed by the release of Cee-lo's single from the album, "Fuck You."  I have to say, unfortunately, that I'm a little let down by the album as a whole.  Let me reiterate that, just to clarify: as a whole.  The album, overall, pretty good;  half of the album, excellent.  Where "The Lady Killer" falls short is with its versatility and creativeness.  The overall production of the album is incredible and each and every song is well worth a listen.  However, where "Soul Machine"'s songs ranged from harder rap ("Glockapella") to spoken word ("Sometimes") to romantic songs ("All Day Love Affair") to club hits ("I'll Be Around feat. Timbaland"), just to name a few, "The Lady Killer" seems to consist of a much narrower variety of song.  This may be more of a personal issue, but, with the amount of creativity Cee-lo has expressed both in his past solo work and with Gnarls Barkley, I was expecting more.

Now that I've gotten that off of my chest, onto why the album is still worth a listen.  The album starts off with a bang and really sucks you in.  By far one of the best tracks on the album, "Bright Lights Bigger City" has a big, sexy sound and subject matter.  As mentioned before, the production is great and Cee-lo sounds fantastic.  Other song shave the same quality of grandeur, such as "Love Gun," "Fuck You," and "Bodies."  Unfortunately, all of these songs are within the first half of the album.  As the album progresses, it seems to lose it's direction and falls into a bit of monotony.  The second half of the album, while still a good listen, seems to be a constant drone of hopeless romanticism as can easily be seen from the song titles: "I Want You," "Cry Baby," "Fool For You," "No One's Gonna Love You," etc. (hardly "The Lady Killer" I was anticipating).  However, that's not to say that these aren't great tracks.  "I Want You" is sure to get stuck in your head and definitely has the sexy, yet dark mood I've always associated with Cee-lo.  Possibly the strongest song in the second half of the album is "Fool For You," which has a heavier feel than several of the other songs on the album and is quite possibly the most soul filled song on the entire album, in particular when Cee-lo belts "Oh, sweet sugar, I surrender/ I don't want no other woman, oh baby you win!"

"The Lady Killer" definitely isn't Cee-lo's strongest album to date, however, that doesn't mean it isn't great in and of itself.  "Fuck You" will undeniably be a hit both in the independent and popular music scenes.  The grandeur and sexiness of "Bright Lights Bigger City" and "Love Gun" stand out as the best tracks on the album, while "Fool For You" and "Bodies" show that Cee-lo is still a master of emotion and knows how to bring out his more serious side as well as his darker side.  The lyrics of the entire album are without doubt a work of are and show that Cee-lo is still a lyrical genius and poet at heart.  The beats are fantastic and each song has it's own character, mood, and story to it.  While "The Lady Killer" doesn't express the same versatility as "Cee-lo Green... Is The Soul Machine" it manages to stand on its own as a great album that will undoubtedly be successful.  In the end, there's no way I can be mad at Cee-lo.  I just love him too god damn much.  So, go on.  Listen to it.  Now.

Music Recommendation #1

Alright, so, in order to get me writing on my blog a bit more and to actually utilize the music I'm getting from 1190, I thought I would start a new (hopefully weekly) segment.  In reviewing a brand new album or two every week, while I can't really seem to motivate myself to write an entire review for the album(s), the least I can do is share with you what I'm listening to and maybe spread around some other music news that I've been stumbling upon.  With that being said, here we go.

10/31/10-11/6/10

This week I managed to get my hands on a couple of different bands that were a little more out there.  Every time I get an artist I've never heard of, my Music Director always says, "Well, you've heard of these guys, right?  Well, they did this before they did that."  Sometimes I actually know what she's talking about, but other times I just sort of nod my head; her knowledge of independent music never ceases to amaze me.  The first thing I got a hold of was K.C. Accidental's "Captured Anthems for an Empty Bathtub" and "Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills," both of which are EPs released by the band in 1997 in a two disc pack.  Now, I don't know if they re-released them or what, but when I looked up the original release of the EPs, it was '97, so... there ya go.  The recordings are from Kevin Drew, founder, vocalist, and guitarist for Broken Social Scene.  However, before Broken Social Scene there was K.C. Accidental.  Partnering up with Charles Spearin,  “Anthems For The Could’ve Bin Pills” was in essence the blue print for Broken Social Scene.  Both EPs are essentially entirely instrumentals, but each one has a different feel to it. "Captured Anthems for an Empty Bathtub" is a bit lighter and "Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills" feels a bit more developed and industrial.  I would have to say that I enjoyed the former more than the latter, but each were interesting to listen to.  Being EPs as well, each is only six songs long, so if you want to just check something new out, there isn't a whole lot of commitment.  Take a listen here.

The second album I got a hold of was Brian Eno's "Small Craft on a Milk Sea," which, to my surprise, has actually been getting very impressive reviews on Metacritic averaging a 77 overall.  This is Eno's first album with Warp and the artist/producer/visionary teamed up with Jon Hopkins (Domino Records) and Leo Abrahams to create the album.  Eno has been releasing music since 1974 with his debut solo album "Here Come the Warm Jets" as well as releasing collaborative albums with artists such as Robert Fripp and David Byrne.  The feeling of the album, on a grand scale, is pretty impressive.  A number of the songs are ambient and wrought with tense melodies and sounds.  Other songs definitely consist of almost nothingness and aren't incredibly entertaining.  However, some of the more energetic songs such as "Flint March" and "Dust Shuffle" are incredibly dynamic and really get your pulse racing.  This album requires a bit more of a time commitment, but I don't think you'll be disappointed when you pick it up.  Take a listen here.  (Fun fact: Brian Eno's full name is Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno.  Win.)

In other news, some new music I've been looking forward to is actually coming out!  Possibly my most anticipated album of the year, "Lady Killer" by Cee-lo Green, is being released on November 2nd.  I've been looking forward to this album for some time and since I've gotten my hands on it early, I should have a review ready for the release date.  On to other things, Good Charlotte's new album, "Cardiology," has received lack luster reviews (surprise, surprise) and Neil Diamond's album of covers, "Dreams," has been receiving high reviews, averaging a 74 on Metacritic.  Some other albums to look forward to this week are Kid Cudi's "Man on the Moon 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager" and Susan Boyle's "The Gift"... oh wait, don't look forward to that.

In closing, hopefully I can keep this segment running and keep you guys up-to-date with what I'm listening to with the radio.  Let me know what you think about this segment, your words will give me strength.  Look for the Cee-lo review and I will see you with new albums and music news next week!

Friends vs. Lovers

Alright, I'm on a roll, let's give you something else.

"I just wanna have sex with you!"

It's time to bring you that artist you're not listening to!  For a while, I haven't really been able to pick up something brand new and immediately start grooving to it.  And I'm not talking just plain grooving, we're talking funky grooving here.  Casxio's "Friends vs. Lovers" really surprised me.  Not only is it funky, but it's soulful, passionate, endearing, and down right sexy!  I mean, their front man, Lucas Guerin, is from France, how could this album NOT be sexy?  Guerin holds down lead vocals and bass and is accompanied by Saez (guitar), Choe (keyboard), and Schrock (drums) all of whom are from our side of the Atlantic.  "Friends vs. Lovers" is the first album released by the band and is also self-released.  Not only are they sexy, but they're hard working.

What really gets me going on about this album is that, while some of the songs may sound very similar, each and every song has its own sort of emotion.  The entire album can be summed up with a broad definition of "love," whether it be sex, heart ache, infatuation, or friendship.  However, there's deeper meaning to several of the songs, such as "Counting Squares" and "No Chance," which really tosses a wrench in the gears of the album, switching it up for listeners.  Some of the songs are a bit more straight forward, such as "I Just Wanna Have Sex With You," which is by far my favorite track, in particular because of how blunt and sexy it is.  The most impressive song on the album has to be "Counting Squares" which, while still following the general layout of the entire album, really manages to stand out because of its more rock oriented feel and the desperation in Guerin's voice as he shouts "This is my hand upon your waist! Oh, you still can't look me in the face!"

"Friends vs. Lovers" is definitely a great success for Casxio, especially considering that it's their self-released debut album.  While at first it may seem as though many of the songs sound incredibly similar and meld together, each song has its own flavor.  The songs do have a recurring theme, but rather than creating monotony, they create an epic story of funk, anguish, love, and sex.  Take a listen here.